Utopia Beach House Reef North

The dive

Utopia Beach Club sits in the bay of Ras Allasad, about 25 km south of El Quseir, and its house reef runs the length of that bay. Euro-Divers, the resort's dive centre, treats it as two: a South house reef whose entrance is about 80 m from the centre, and this North house reef, for which the centre runs a shuttle for its diving guests. The centre's own count is that six different dives are needed to cover the whole thing, which is the honest way to read the two names. They are two ends of one continuous fringing reef, not two different reefs, and no operator publishes a claim that the north end is a different kind of dive from the south.

Entry is from the resort beach. Snorkeling Report describes going in through the pass to the left of the jetty where the boats are moored, over a reef flat of only 0.5 to 1 m, then following the reef edge. Euro-Divers' own fact sheet says most of its dives are done from the shore over drop-offs, plateau or sandy areas, and sets 40 m as the maximum depth it will dive. Two Zodiacs stand by from 08:00 to 18:00 for one-way drops and pick-ups, and two pickup cars carry gear down to the water, so the usual pattern here is a one-way dive along the reef rather than an out-and-back. Guided dives run three in the morning and three in the afternoon; certified buddy pairs may go unguided.

OBIS records within 1.5 km of the pin are the normal Red Sea fringing-reef assemblage: sohal surgeonfish, Desjardin's sailfin tang, brown unicornfish, blue-spotted stingray, devil firefish, grey moray, broomtail wrasse, day octopus, yellow boxfish and small giant clam. On top of that the dive centre reports dolphins frequently, eagle rays, turtles and whitetip reef sharks now and then, a whale shark once or twice a year, and since 2024 a dugong that grazes the seagrass in the deeper parts of the bay. The centre briefs every diver on keeping its distance.

The bay is sheltered enough that the centre says the house reef often stays diveable when weather closes the boat sites. Access is through the resort's beach and is not open to the public: Snorkeling Report states the spot is reserved for guests of Utopia Beach Club and of the neighbouring Pensee Royal Garden, which shares the beach.

• One of two named ends of a single fringing reef; the dive centre counts six dives to cover all of it
• Northern entrance reached by the dive centre's shuttle rather than from the centre's own steps
• Zodiac one-way drops and pick-ups on standby 08:00 to 18:00, plus early-morning dives on request
• A dugong has been resident in the bay's deeper seagrass since 2024, reported repeatedly by the dive centre
• Free Nitrox 32 for certified divers at the dive centre

Conditions

Euro-Divers' fact sheet gives water temperatures of 20 to 25 C from December to April and 25 to 29 C from May to November, with air temperatures averaging 25 C in winter and 30 to 45 C from May to November. The bay is described as protected from strong wind and current. No operator publishes a visibility figure for this reef, so none is recorded here.

On current: Euro-Divers describes the bay as protected from strong wind and current, and says the house reef often remains diveable when larger waves or stronger currents shut other sites down. Snorkeling Report reports a current that runs predominantly north to south along the reef, which is the reason the centre sells one-way Zodiac drops and Zodiac pick-ups. No source publishes a speed, so treat it as a set to plan around rather than a drift to ride.